The three cities have been in a standoff over extraterritorial jurisdiction boundaries in an area near Nolanville Hill on U.S. Highway 190.
“It looks like there is going to be give-and-take all around,” Emma McCullough, Nolanville mayor, said. “There is no animosity between the three cities. We are working together to get this settled.”
On Thursday, Nolanville City Council authorized Jeff Looney, a consultant for the city, to enter formal negotiations with the other cities.
Belton City Manager Sam Listi confirmed that, in advance to that meeting, there had been informal discussion between the parties that he characterized as constructive.
“We are going to work very hard to come to an agreement between us to get this settled and behind us so there won’t be any litigation,” Ms. McCullough said. “Nobody wants to spend any money on attorneys. They cost too much money.”
Belton and Harker Heights had been laying groundwork for a potential lawsuit against Nolanville as both city councils agreed this month to have a third party count the residents in Nolanville.
Nolanville city leaders say the city went over the 5,000 mark in population, which expanded its ETJ by a half mile, just before Belton and Harker Heights could sign off on an agreement they had reached on ETJ boundaries in the area.
Belton and Harker Heights questioned the numbers and spent months trying to resolve the dispute with Nolanville, but until this week the issue appeared headed to court.
Now Listi said the third party count has been suspended even though two city councils gave the go-ahead on the count.
Nolanville wanted to protect land along the U.S. 190 corridor, which might be developed in the future. In addition, a population of 5,000 people is desirable because leaders would like to become a home-rule city and have more autonomy.
Other than to say all parties are making concessions, leaders negotiating the deal would not speak about the general framework of any proposals being considered.
One possibility is that Nolanville and the other cities agree on new boundaries with the other cities not questioning Nolanville’s population totals.
Harker Heights and Belton city leaders had planned to split their city’s respective ETJs at U.S. 190 between Paddy Hamilton Road and Nolanville Hill with Belton’s ETJ extending northward and Harker Heights southward.
Looney said now that Nolanville has given him the go-ahead to negotiate he would be contacting Listi and Steve Carpenter, city manager in Harker Heights.
